This invention relates to the field of catalytic combustion and/or heat exchange. The present invention provides a cartridge that can be used as a heat exchanger or a catalytic or non-catalytic reactor, and which can be stacked with similar cartridges in a long tube or pipe. The invention also includes a method of moving a cartridge into or out of a pipe, and a tool for accomplishing such transfer.
The cartridge of the present invention achieves the same objectives as that of the catalyst support described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/896,302, filed Jul. 21, 2004, now U.S. Pat. 7,320,778, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
One of the objectives of the above-cited application is to avoid the problems associated with the use of ceramic materials in the manufacture and operation of catalytic reactors. Packed bed ceramic catalysts have the disadvantage that they have low thermal conductivity, making it difficult to transfer heat from the periphery of the reactor to the inside. Also, the thermal mismatch between the metal and ceramic portions of prior art reactors eventually leads to pulverization of the ceramic material, thus limiting the useful life of the reactor. Like the device described in the above-cited application, the present invention also comprises an all-metal structure which inherently avoids these problems.
Another object of a catalytic reactor or heat exchanger is to provide adequate mixing of gas streams so as to promote heat transfer between the wall of the reactor and the gases flowing therein. Thus, in the application cited above, skewed or angled corrugations define curved paths which impart a swirl to gases as they exit the reactor. The present invention also provides a structure that promotes mixing and/or swirling of gases.
The cartridge of the present invention can be used, for example, in the field of catalytic fuel reforming, to make hydrogen, which is then used in generating electricity through a fuel cell, or in other industrial processes such as oil and gas refining, ammonia and fertilizer production, hydrogenation of oils and chemicals, and iron ore reduction. The cartridge could be used as a catalytic or non-catalytic combustor. The cartridge could also be used as a simple heat exchanger.